Monday, July 15, 2013

Yuri Foreman's Ready to Continue His Comeback

Junior middleweight Yuri Foreman is scheduled to face Jamaal Davis on July 24 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, New York. In a phone interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog- as dishes clanged in the background- Foreman (30-2, 8 KOs) said of Davis (14-9-1, 6 KOs), "He's been around, has decent speed, good combos, and knows how to box." Foreman said training was going well, but was hard. He's working on developing his skills and is not worried about his opponent's style, although he does have a Plan B if something goes wrong.

Foreman is coming off of a six-round unanimous decision victory over Gundrick King in April. For that fight, Yuri said he started boxing early to feel out his opponent. He labeled King a "strong guy with a tight defense" and noted that King threw dangerous counters. King's southpaw stance was not an issue for Foreman who had won the world championship against a southpaw, Daniel Santos, in 2009. In the sixth round against King, Foreman pressed the action, but the knockout didn't come.

The King fight was his second comeback victory following a two-year layoff. When asked why he lost motivation after reaching the high point of his career following his courageous performance against Miguel Cotto, Foreman enumerated a few reasons. There were a few changes including the absence of his familiar trainer, Joe Grier. He felt his new training camp did not have the same energy as Grier's normally did.

As a result, Foreman struggled to recapture the love of boxing he once had. He tried to convince himself that his lack of desire would fade, but it didn't. He admitted he needed to be honest with himself and he hadn't been. Foreman attempted to explain, "I was feeling- what's the word?" His wife then called out from across the room, "Burnout."

Foreman found the motivation to return to the sport because he "missed the action. I was going to the gym regularly and became energized again." Yuri continued, "I was doing roadwork and imagining my next fight, but I didn't have one." He realized his love for the sport had returned.

When asked about the perception within the media that Foreman has "no power" and is "feather-fisted," Yuri joked, "It doesn't bother me. Then my opponent shouldn't be afraid of [my] punches." But he then added, "I'm not going to make any predictions, but that's going to change."

His next bout against Davis is scheduled for eight rounds. Yuri hasn't fought as many rounds since his loss to Cotto in June of 2010, but Foreman claimed the distance wouldn't be an issue, because sparring has prepared him to go eight rounds.